Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Pear-palooza

Pears are in season right now, and while we generally see a few varieties in the grocery store Bartlett, perhaps some Bosc or Anjou there are far more offerings at this time of year.

If you come across them, try a Harrow pear, or a comice, or Concorde. And if you're lucky, you may have small Seckel pears growing in your back yard.

Pears do ripen in a different way than apples. Like avocados and bananas, they naturally release ethylene gas, and will ripen to the point of composting themselves in your fruit bowl. But bonus: you can grate ripe pears on the coarse side of your box grater into a sort of chunky pulp that's perfect to use in carrot cakes (in place of the applesauce or canned pineapple it might call for), muffins and loaves, pancakes and waffles or anything that calls for a fruit puree.

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We talked about pears' potential on the CalgaryEyeopener(listen here)and I made an upside down pear gingerbread that my family has been making for decades, as well as pakoras with pear tamarind chutney and a browned butter kale salad with pears, walnuts and blue brie.

Here are the recipes!

Upside-down pear gingerbread

This has been our family's go-to holiday dessert for decades I just love it. It makes a fantastic vehicle for ice cream or whipped cream, and it comes out of the pan predecorated.if a slice or two of pear sticks to the pan, just peel it off and put it back where it belongs.

Topping:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp honey or corn syrup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 ripe but firm pears (or tart apples), peeled and thinly sliced

Gingerbread:

• cup butter, at room temperature
• cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• cup dark molasses
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, or 1 tsp powdered ginger (or both)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• tsp allspice (optional)
• tsp salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt, thinned with milk
• Preheat the oven to 350 F and spray a 9-inch round cake pan (or deep pie plate) with nonstick spray.

To make the topping, melt the butter, honey and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat or microwave until it's smooth. Or combine them in the bottom of the pan, put it in the oven until it melts, then take it out and stir it with a fork until it's smooth.Pour the mixture over the bottom of the pan and arrange the pear slices on top, placing them tightly together. They shrink a bit as they cook, so you can even get away with overlapping them.

To make the gingerbread batter, beat the butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, ginger and vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined. It may look separated that's OK.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and stir by hand or on the lowest speed of an electric mixer just until the batter is combined. Add the buttermilk, and then the remaining dry ingredients in the same manner. Pour the batter over the sliced pears.

Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, until the top is springy to the touch. Let it stand for five minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a plate while it's still warm. If it cools too much and sticks to the pan, warm it in the oven again before you try to invert it.Don't worry if any pear slices stick to the bottom of the pan simply peel them out and place them back on top of the cake where they belong.

Serve with whipped cream.

Serves: 8.

Browned butter kale salad with hazelnuts and pears

Warm browned butter helps tame the kale, wilting it just slightly, making it easier to eat. It's also a divine alternative to the usual oil-based vinaigrettes.

• cup butter
• bunch kale, leaves pulled off the stalks and thinly sliced
• 4-5 Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced or shaved
• juice of half a lemon
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 ripe but firm pear, chopped
• cup roughly chopped toasted hazelnuts, walnuts or almonds
• - cup grated Parmesan cheese, extra-aged Gouda or crumbled blue cheese

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat; continue cooking, swirling the pan occasionally, until the foam starts turning golden and nutty-smelling. Remove from the heat.

Put the kale and Brussels sprouts in a bowl; drizzle with the browned butter, scraping out the bottom of the pan to get any browned bits, and toss to coat well.

Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the pear, hazelnuts and Parmesan cheese, toss and serve.

Serves: 2-4.

Pear chutney

Pears make a delicious chutney it's a great way to preserve the best of the season. Serve it with pakoras or samosas, or with roasted chicken, turkey or pork.

• 1 shallot or small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small red or orange pepper, finely chopped
• 2-3 ripe pears, chopped (don't bother peeling them)
• cup packed brown sugar
• cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• tsp curry paste
• tsp salt
• a handful of raisins
• a spoonful of tamarind paste (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes, until everything is nice and soft.

Cool and mash with a potato masher or pulse with a hand-held immersion blender right in the pot add a splash of water if it's too thick until it's the consistency you like.

Cool and divide into containers or jars and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze.

Makes: About 2 cups.